Kaddy, training with a heavy axe as sweat dropped down from her face, looked closely at the door of the hall. The king entered her room. Kaddy bowed respectfully and asked why the king had come to see her. The king explained that her trial must begin. Kaddy was nervous; however, Denny, her guardian demi-beast protector, assured her that she had trained hard enough and had mastered her abilities skillfully.
Beau was summoned by Zack and teleported into Kaddy's room. Kaddy spoke in a hushed voice, "Beau, could you tell me anything about the test?"
Beau sighed, "All I can say is that Zack is rooting for you. The king forbade the other candidates from speaking about the test, as it violated the King's and Waterfall's will."
Kaddy replied, confused, "Why?"
Beau paused slightly, then replied, "Zack and John passed. So, in order to keep the unity developed by the universes, the king decided to remove any advantage given—to make the test fair."
Sadly, if Kaddy pressed on the matter further and Beau told her the content of the test ahead of time, Kaddy would be eliminated. But since Beau knew that Kaddy was already tense, he decided not to tell her. Even if Beau didn't trust others in the past, it didn't affect his newfound kindness. He knew that anyone Zack valued as a friend, he must help. But hiding secrets was sometimes a must. Since Beau valued Kaddy's feelings—especially as Zack wanted her to help bring Jeff together—he stayed silent.
Kaddy entered the test area, and the first test began. She saw a figure standing in front of her. Jeff spoke, his voice shallow and filled with disgust, "You found me, Kaddy."
Kaddy spoke, shivering, "You are not real."
Jeff retorted, "I am more real than the woman who killed me. Deep down, you knew the headmaster was watching, didn't you?"
Kaddy screamed, "No, Jeff! I love you! I would never—I swear!"
Jeff exclaimed, "Why didn't you prevent it when you knew I would be killed? Why didn't you rush forth and help me?"
Kaddy cried, "I was trapped! I couldn't! I'm sorry, Jeff, please forgive me!"
Just as Kaddy looked down, another figure appeared before her. It was Emily—Zack's and Jeff's sister.
She spoke with a menacing voice, "Kaddy, why did you abandon me and send me with this man?"
Kaddy shouted, "My uncle is the most caring person! He took care of you, right?"
Emily screamed—every word pierced Kaddy's heart—"Your uncle will betray you for his survival. After all, he killed your family the same way!"
Kaddy scratched her head, blood dropping down, "I just wanted to save you..."
Emily scoffed dramatically, "Admit it—you failed me, you loyal dog of the beast!"
Kaddy was about to drown in the negativity when suddenly Jeff appeared in his younger form, offering Kaddy a piece of cake. Kaddy ate it and remembered the moments she had spent with Jeff—from that first encounter up to the point of his death. Kaddy roared, more determined than ever, "I will save you, Emily and Jeff! I will take revenge for your death. Until I bring you back with the wish, I will fight until my dying breath—no matter what happens!"
The first trial was over, and Kaddy passed it. Then the second trial began. Kaddy used her axe, encasing it with fire, and swung the sword, successfully destroying the boulder.
The last test was the most menacing to Kaddy, as she heard a familiar voice. The beast roared and rushed forth to kill Kaddy. Driven by determination, Kaddy shook off the fear and regained her composure, following her training. She swung her sword but missed. Yet the beast's movements weren't as fast as the real one.
Kaddy realized that she could still defeat it. She rushed again, dodged multiple clawed attacks from the beast, and enveloped her sword with fire with one hand, the other hand pushing her forward. Then the beast's head rolled on the ground. The final test ended, and Kaddy won the test—coming closer to achieving her desire of Jeff's return.
The candidates who passed were announced. Zack and John were called. Then the king announced with excitement:
"Kaddy, Zack, John, Sam, Robert, Jin, Cindy, Soran, Jimmy, Sue, Susan, Daniel, and Nel—you are the candidates who passed the test. You are now no longer candidates, but contenders. You must face the beasts together and end the terror of those 13 beasts once and for all." Kaddy remembered the most important thing after this statement: to focus on killing the beast and hide all her secrets if they interfered with this purpose. The fact that Emily is still in danger, or the fact that she caused the brothers' misfortune, or the fact that she helped the beast kill their parents, or the secret of how she was chosen to be a candidate—all those crimes were Kaddy's most deviant sins. Ever since the first time she held the axe—the same weapon she almost used to kill Zack's sister—Kaddy was determined to carry those burdens alone until the day she takes it all back from the beast who took everything away from her.